LSU's Barkevious Mingo, seen here trying to bring down Trent Richardson in the BCS championship game, says this year's Alabama team has a strong 1-2 punch in the backfield with Eddie Lacy and T.J. Yeldon. (Bill Starling/bstarling@al.com)Mike Herndon | mherndon@al.com

BATON
ROUGE, Louisiana - The superlatives have been thrown around with reckless
abandon toward this Alabama football team. They've been called flawless,
dominant, without weakness, good enough to compete in the NFL.

But LSU
Sam Montgomery doesn't believe any team can be on the top of its game every
single play - not even Alabama.

"Even
though they show no weaknesses or soft points, it's one of those things -- we
have to make one," said Montgomery, who will lead No. 5 LSU's defense against
the top-ranked Tide in Saturday night's showdown at Tiger Stadium. "Not
everybody is going to do everything 110 percent all the time. There's always a
weakness -- whether it's mental, physical, technique-wise or the scheme of the
offense. There will be one somewhere. It's just you've got to take advantage of
those times when they're presented to you."

Asked
whether Alabama has looked largely flawless in the films he's watched,
Montgomery said, "Oh, of course." But he added that he's also spotted
opportunities.

"I've
also seen some times where guys got to the quarterback, some guys made some big
plays," he said. "It's just that, with the physical caliber of Alabama, not a
lot of people can keep up with that for four quarters."

Few would
dispute the greatness of these two defenses. Alabama and LSU are Nos. 1 and 2
in the SEC and Nos. 1 and 3 in the nation in total defense, allowing 203 and
243 yards per game, respectively.

But
Alabama's offense is starting to get some accolades as well. Quarterback AJ
McCarron is getting some Heisman buzz. The Crimson Tide's offensive line has
been called the best in the nation. CBS Sports analyst Gary Danielson told Paul
Finebaum this week he sees three elite units in Saturday's game - both defenses
and Alabama's offense.

The
difference is a more explosive Alabama passing game led by McCarron, who leads
the conference in passing efficiency while throwing 18 touchdown passes and no
interceptions. "They have a couple young receivers that run great routes and
have great hands, and (McCarron) does a great job of putting it where they can
catch it," LSU safety Eric Reid said.

LSU,
meanwhile, has had to rebuild a secondary that lost cornerback Morris Claiborne
and safety Brandon Taylor to the NFL and 2011 Heisman Trophy candidate Tyrann
Mathieu to dismissal. With freshmen Jalen Mills and Jalen Collins joining Tharold
Simon at corner and Craig Loston joining the starting lineup alongside Reid at
safety, LSU is second in the conference in pass defense at 148.5 yards per game,
just behind Alabama.

"It may
be the youngest part of our team, but those guys have come a long way since the
beginning of the year," Reid said. "They've grown up a lot with games like Texas
A&M and Florida. They're getting better every week and we're counting on
them again this week."

Regardless
of Alabama's improved passing game and the youth of LSU's secondary, the plan
for slowing down the Crimson Tide is similar to last year, defensive end
Barkevious Mingo said: "Just come out, establish our run defense, force them to
pass early, and disrupt those passing plays."

But
facing a line that he said "may be the best line we've played all year, across
the board" and a strong pair of running backs in Eddie Lacy and T.J. Yeldon
will make that job as tough as ever, Mingo added.

"He's
just a tough runner, hard-nosed just like Trent (Richardson) before him and
Mark (Ingram) before him," Mingo said of Lacy, a Louisiana native with whom
many of the Tigers are very familiar. "They just know how to recruit them, I
guess. With the younger guy (Yeldon), you don't know what you're going to get.
He's a strong guy, and when he can get on the edge he's gone. You've got to
watch out for that elusive speed he has."

Mingo,
Montgomery, Reid and the rest of the Tigers know what kind of game this will
be. This will be a physical test of strength, endurance and will just like it
was in both meetings last year. And the whirlpools will be full afterward.

"This
whole week, I've been saying to myself: It's going to be a game where I'm going
to have to play one through four quarters, and I'm not going to come out of
this game without bruises and bumps on me," Montgomery said. "It's coming and
there's no need to think it's going to be any other way. It's going to be a fight
to the end.

"This is
about tradition," he added. "This tradition has been going on a long time. It
just comes down to that this is my era, our team's time to play in this game
and keep the tradition going. This game is a physical, low-scoring game, played
to the fourth quarter, with some of the top prospects in the world on each
team. It's a true battle where only the men can survive and make plays. That's
what it is."